A WIN-WINPARTN


Emma Coleman School development manager at Christ Church, Spitalfields, London


Q


What benefits has A&O’s support brought?


AA&O’s staff participation is incredible, allowing us to achieve


things that we wouldn’t otherwise have the staff or budget for. For instance, A&O volunteers have played a major role in maintaining our award-winning adventure playground. hey regularly dig over flowereds, and help our premises manager by painting fences, gates and benches. It’s amazing to see how much the volunteers enjoy coming to our school. They read with the children in the morning before they start work, and sit with them in the hall at lunchtime.


Q


What memorable projects has A&O funded?


AA&O supports our breakfast club with annual funding, and


this includes providing musical instruments for the children to play. he clu is hugely eneficial or working parents, who can drop their children with us from 8am. A&O also sponsored trips for four


year groups to visit the Ministry of Stories’ creative writing workshops


30 AUTUMN 2019 FundEd


in Hoxton. This involved the children beginning a story collaboratively and finishing it individually. he children found this tremendous fun and they ended the session with the story presented in a gited ook, to finish at home and at school. It was a fantastic and inspiring treat. Finally, A&O have committed to


fund my salary – a 14-hours-per-week position as school development manager – for three years.


Q


AThe arts curriculum is being cut AI think it gives them a strong sense of social responsibility and


Which A&O project has had the biggest effect on the school?


nationwide, but we want to be


known for creativity and music, and A&O helped fund our new curriculum. We had planned to develop our old nursery space into a dedicated arts room and A&O volunteers made this happen. They cleaned, scrubbed and painted the space, and even built some resource cupboards. Now, we have a large, light space for art sessions and building projects. A&O also donated money for resources and funded a creative teaching course for our staff.


Q


What unexpected benefits have there been to your partnership?


AOur school is very close to the City – you can see The Gherkin from


the playground. But there’s a bit of a dividing line in terms of wealth, and the City seems impenetrable to lots of parents. With the partnership, the children join a wider community – they have the chance to visit city uildings, including the  ofices. This opens their eyes to new ideas, possibilities and careers they might not otherwise have considered.


How do you think A&O and its employees benefit from being such a huge part of your school?


Q


community. Many volunteers didn’t know that our school existed and perhaps didnt realise how financially disadvantaged some of our families are. I think they enjoy seeing how their eorts can enefit all o our  pupils.


Q


How has the school community benefited?


AHugely – everything the volunteers do makes for a better environment


for the children. Their sponsorship gives us so many advantages over other schools, and we are very lucky to have such support. The staff have many more opportunities and are able to enjoy and teach in a much more creative way.


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